Late Summer Growth on Dawn Redwood - September 2020

My history with our Dawn Redwood has been mixed overall, but over the past few years, it seems that things have been going well. Originally planted our first Spring - in 2017 - I over-pruned the tree and didn't baby it enough leading to it only lasting that first season.  By 2018, I had replaced it.  That year, I really tried to pay attention the small, thin tree.  I hand-watered it regularly and we had a little bit of a milder Summer.  And the tree made it through its first year. 

By Fall of 2018 - the first full year with the replacement tree - I was seeing Fall growth.  That felt good.  It needle'd-out in the Spring of 2019 and hasn't looked back.  It grew 36" last year. 

The last time that I checked in on the tree was earlier this Summer when I found a little bit of new growth on top - gaining even more height. 

Today, I'm diary'ing a few photos showing some late Summer growth on the tips.  I've tried to pay a moderate amount of attention to this tree, but it has been hot recently.  It seems that the tree has established itself *enough* to put on new growth at the end of August/beginning of September.

I also fed this tree with a couple of Jobe's tree spikes at the end of Spring this year. 

I'm eager to go measure the tree calipers this month.    In January of this year, this Dawn Redwood had a 1.46" caliper measurement 6" from the root flare - so I'm hoping - that in addition to the height - we'll see growth there, too,